Dismountable picnic table



y 22, 1956 c. A. COOPER DISMOUNTABLE PICNIC TABLE Filed May 15, 1953 FFq-i INVENTOR CalvLn A.Cooper 0.6 M ORNEY r 1,746,525 I msnoum m PICNIC TABLr i' Calvin A. Cooper, BattleCreek, Micln, assignor, by mesne assignments, to Frederick J. Melges, Battle. Creek,

fT lieQpres-ent invention relates broadly to tables, and in its specific phases to a metal leg type of mobile and disrnouutable picnic table havingireadily detachable seats,

legs,.and top panel- 1 Picnic. tables in public parks are sometimes built in fixed "location with the table top fastened on legs driven into the ground .jwith the seats carried on the ends of cross 7 supports nailed or bolted to the legs. Inoth'er situations they are made in portable form from boards, logs, and

sawed pieces nailed or bolted together to form a unitco'n struction, table with attached seats. 1 Tables of the former mounting of the seats on'the outer ends of the legs connected to the table top locks the whole assembly into a stable unit.

A further object is to provide a dismountable light weight picnic table which is easy to construct, assemble, and disassemble; is highly efiicient in use, and of low cost.

Still further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceed-s.

To the accomplishment of, the foregoing and related ends, the invention, then, consists of the dismountable picnic table hereinafter fully'described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and the following description setting forth in detail certain means for carrying outthe invention, such disclosed means illustrating, however, but one of the various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

type are thus fixed and not easy to set up or dismount,

. while thelatter are heavy, clumsy, difiicult of use, and not handy to assernble or disassemble at the' beginning and end of the, picnicing season. Other picnic tables are made inconventional table form having separate-benches for (demand somewhere, else than withthe tableandhave to be found when the table is to be used; Complex con- :stnnction tables withhingedly mounted legs for foldably collapsing when' jsameare to' be stored, have also been proposed." ,Itwas a recognition of thesefand other "well known shortcomings, of the picnic table art, and a recognition of the need of .a light weight improveddismountable picnic table having detachable legs andseats which ledlto the conception and deve'lopmentof the present inv ion f ji iAnother object isto provide a-picnic table utilizing four interchangeablelegs, is free from high cross-mountedsupports, for the seats and over which onemustclimb when 'jitis desired to sit at the table anddo so byslidingin from the end of the seat. i

, I Another object is toiprovide a picnic table construction wi'thsocket mounted interchangeable legs each of which actsto support one corner of the table top and one end of .a seating member.

Another object is to provide a, picnic table which is self supporting when assembled, and of relatively rigid construction without the use of cross braces between the table Another object is to provide leg mounting socket rnembers on the underside of. the table top adapted to re .ceive, engage, and anchor the detachable table legs in 'fixed and rigid position whenthe seats are mounted on V tl e out er ends of said legs which have outturned exten- "s'ions withupturned ends adapted to engage with socket members on the'under face of said seats. 7

A further object is. to provide the leg mounting sockets on the under face of the table top with bayonet slots, and

said legs with an extending member fitting said slots to lock said legs fixed position when assembled with the seats. i I g A further'object is to provide a picnic table where the i .use with same. In this case the benches are constantly in in the annexed drawing: Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a preferred form of the dismountable picnic table of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a longitudinal sectional view as taken at line 22 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. p i Figure 3 shows an enlarged perspective view of one of the socket members attachable to the table top for receiving a table leg.

Figure 4v shows a partially'sectioned fragmentary view of aseat mounting as seen at line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows. Figure 5 showsthe seat mounting as seen at line 5-5 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring more particularly to Figure 1 of the'drawing i it will be noted that the table 1 has a top assembly 2 with members can ,be made in various ways to accomplish the assembly.

Will be hereinatfer set forth.

four detachable legs 3, and a pair of bench seats 4, all put together to form a unit assembly. I

The table top assembly 2 has a top panel 5 which may be of any conventional form suitable for table tops, such as boards, plywood, waterproof fibre board, or the'like,

and it is intended that the showing be considered as diagrammatically illustrating these various equivalent constructions. On the under face of top panel 5 is a reinforcing framework 6 having side members 7 and end members 8 to which top panel 5 is firmly anchored. If desired a center cross member 9 can be used as part of the reinforcing framework 6 to give additional rigidity to the top Mounted in each of the corners of reinforcing framework 6 is a leg socket member 10, Figure 3, which consists of an angle bracket 11, having perforations-12 for fastening members, such 'as screws 13, and a tubular socket member 14 fastened, as by means of welding 15, to bracket 11 The lower endof tubular socket member 14 is provided with a bayonet socket 16. While the leg socket purpose" set forth,,as a matter of convenience if these leg socket members are made in rights and lefts, as shown' in Figure 2, the detachable legs 3 can all be made alike, which will facilitate rigid interlocking of the assembly as f The detachable legs each have an upright portion 17, the upper end of whichclosely but slidably fits into the tubular socket member 14 and is provided with a projectingme'rnber or pin 18 which engages and interlocks in bayonetfsocket 16 when the table is fully assembled. At

the lower end of the'uprightportion 17 of leg 3, same is bentoutward to form a ground contacting portion 19, and at the outer end of this portion same is bent upward to form a seat support 20. The upper end of seat support 20 is preferablyturned inward to make possible greater ground contacting area while the upper end of the seat support forms a seat mounting portion 21 which preferably has a stop member 22 and a cross perforation 23 the use which will be hereinafter explained.

Bench seats 4 have mounted on their underface adjacent each end of same a seat mounting assembly 24, which in preferred form consists of a crosswise extending tubular member 25 having an inside diameter closely but freely fitting the seat mounting portion 21 of detachable legs 3 with said tubular member preferably being fastened to a suitable plate 26, as by welding. That plate in turn is perforated in conventional manner for the reception of screws 27,0rthe like, for fastening same to the seating member or plank 28.

To assemble the table the detachable legs are slipped into the tubular socket members 14 of the table top assembly with projecting pin 18 of each leg 3 passing downwbavyonet slot 16 to its end and then sidewise into locking portion 29 of the slot. In this position the seat mounting portion :21 of the legs on each side of the table will preferably be a little closer together than the spacing of theseat mounting assemblies on the underface of each bench seat. Thus when the bench seat is in place with the tubular member 25 up against stop member 22, and fastening pin 30 in place to hold the seat against accidental removal, the slight outward springing of the legs to mount the bench seat will force projecting pin 18 up against the end of the locking portion 29 of bayonet slot 16 and give the whole assembly an exceptional rigidity and freedom from any feeling of looseness.

The table top assembly 2 and detachable legs 3 can be varied over a considerable range of size for a suitable height table top and seats, but for convenience and economy in shipping or storing the table in disassembled form, it is preferable to make the table top assembly and legs of a size permitting nesting of the legs on the bottom of the table top assembly within or substantially within the confines of reinforcing framework 6, in which position the bench seats 4 can be placed over same and anchored in any conventional manner such as by banding, screws or the like (notshown), to form a very compact shipping or storing package.

While the preferred construction of the dismountable picnic table assembly has been very specifically described, it should be'noted that such terms as upper, lower, top, and bottom are used purely in a descriptive sense for ease of setting forth the combination involved as shown in the drawing and are not to be considered as limitations on same, since, for instance, the table can be assembled as well as disassembled in inverted position with the legs extending upward, in which case the top face of the table would be down and the other parts correspondingly shifted in position and yet the identical table would be involved.

Othcrmodes of applying the principle of my invention may be employed instead of the one explained, change being made as regards the dis'mountable table apparatus herein disclosed, provided the means stated by any of the following claims or the equivalent of such stated means be employed.

I therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as my invention:

1. A dismountable table assembly, comprising a table top, socket type leg receiving and holding means mounted on the underface of said table top and fastened to same at the corner portions thereof, a separate leg mountable at each corner portion of said table top, each leg having an upright portion fitting into and engaging said leg receiving and holding means at one end and an upright, bench seat supporting, portion at the other end with a ground contacting portion between them, each leg and 'ea'ch'l'eg. receiving and holding means having. cooperating interengaging means locking same together when the leg is rotatedinto assembled position, and a bench seat mounted on the bench seat supporting portions of said legs, said legs having said bench seat mounted on them and anchored by the latter against rotation or removal from said leg receiving and holding means, said socket type leg receiving and holding means having a bayonet slot, and each leg having a projecting member cooperating and interengaging with said bayonet slot for locking the leg and the leg receiving and holding means together when in assembled position.

2. A dismountable table assembly as set forth in claim 1, wherein each'bench seat member has a socket means on its underface and adjacent the opposite ends thereof, said socket means receiving the upper part of the bench seat supporting portion of the corresponding legs, the ends of each of said bench seat supporting portions having anchoring means at opposite sides of the socket means for releasably locking said bench seat on the bench seat supporting portions of said legs.

3. A dismountable picnic table assembly, comprising a substantially flat table top, a pair of bench seats, socket type leg receiving and holding means which opens in a downward direction substantially perpendicular to the underface of said table top, said socket type means being ancho'red in position to said table top adjacent the corners thereof, a table leg at each corner portion of said table top, each leg being of substantially U-shape and having a long upright portion fitting into and engaging said leg receiving and holding means at one end and having a short upright portion at its other end for supporting one end of one of said bench seats, each of said legs having a ground contacting portion between said upright portions, all of said legs being of substantially the same construction and having a 'sidewise projecting member adjacent the upper end of the table top supporting upright portion of same, said leg receiving and holding means having a bayonet slot into which said sidewise projecting member of the leg fits and locks when the longer upright portion of the U-shaped leg is rotated into assembled position with respect to the socket of the leg receiving and holding means and when the bench seat is mounted in place, and socket means at the end portion of each bench seat into which the bench seat supporting portion of each leg fits.

4. A dismountable picnic table as set forth in claim 3, wherein the bench seat supporting portion of each leg is turned back at its upper end toward the other upright portion of'the leg, and wherein said socket means at each end of said bench seat is of tubular form fastened to the bench seat underface, and means carried by the turned back portions of the bench seat supporting legs engaged with opposite ends of the socket means on the ends of the bench seats for releasably holdingthe socket means of 'said bench seats on said legs, whereby the ground contacting portion of said legs is relatively long and there is a "clear space between the bench seat and the table top supporting portion of said legs facilitating ingress and egress to the table and bench seats from the ends thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Great Britain July 28, 1939 

